The cover on this new CD calls this collection
of music “Devotional Chanting & Spiritual Love
Songs,” but this is chanting such as you have never
heard before. These are original, modern chants
with both English and old Sanskrit words combined with
new melodies that resonate with today's audiences.

These chants and songs combine with diverse instrumentation
(not often found on traditional chant recordings) such
as harmonica, saxophone, wood flute, piano, Celtic harp
and Australian didgeridoo to make this a truly original
recording. One could call this spiritual feel-good music
for a new era.

The fifth album of classically trained pianist
Ann Sweeten, Sapphire Days is a collection
of pure poetry on piano.

Sweeten’s music reflects her passion
for nature. “I spend some time outside every day,
no matter the weather! I love the ‘naturalness’
of nature because there is no pretense. It’s the
wonder of the world.” She begins her new album with
“Walking with the Wind,” while “Cotton
Candy Skies” and “Canopy of Stars” also
pay tribute to the many manifestations of nature. “White
Spirit” was inspired by the endangered White Spirit
Bear (the Kermode Bear) of British Columbia, which was
saved when clear-cut logging was banned there. Sapphire
Days is a musical memory of, in Sweeten’s
words, “those standout days that we treasure always.”

David Wertman and Lynne Meryl have been
performing, writing and recording original World Music
Jazz for over 20 years. In their words, their hope is
“to use the music of The Spirit Ensemble to spread
a healing message of Love, Peace, Compassion and Joy throughout
the planet.”

Their music is of a peaceful nature, rich
with world rhythms, expansive harmonies, inspired lyrics
and the lovely vocals of Lynne Meryl.